Speed Metal

Not a true genre of metal..

Speed metal is not a true genre of metal. It is merely a term applied to how fast a band plays. For instance Metallica's album "Kill 'em All" and Slayer's album "Show No Mercy" have been described as speed metal. However, those two albums showcase band's playing at an astonishing speed and it is this speed that would later be incorporated into other genres such as thrash, power and death metal. Therefore, some people consider speed metal its own genre as it gave birth to those aforementioned genres.

It is not a separate genre though. In fact speed metal is truly only applied to bands that play at a ridiculously fast tempo. Many bands have incorporated the speed into their distinctive playing styles birthing new genres but no single band is considered a speed metal band rather they are considered thrash, power, death or other genres. Therefore, one cannot write a true definition for the term speed metal as it does not apply to an individual genre but rather the tempos at which the band plays.

Well reaching two hundred words is difficult when you can't actually define something so I'll list some other albums considered to be speed metal. Judas Priest's "Painkiller", Anthrax's "Fist full of Metal", and Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" are all considered speed metal albums. The albums are also great metal albums by some of the founding fathers of the music. Everyone should listen to the albums and enjoy the power of these bands.